There is a brand new original film on Netflix called Dance of the Forty One that features some seriously hot gay action. While you sit back and enjoy the 2020 historical drama Dance of the 41, you might also enjoy learning about the history behind this sexy gay historical flick. Hey, just in time for it almost being Pride Month! So let's learn the TRUE story behind this gay drama.
At the turn of the century, Mexico's President Porfirio Diaz became unwittingly involved in a scandal when police raided a secret society filled with gay men and men dressed in women's clothing on November 17, 1901. One of the people found there, among other Mexican elites, was the president's own son-in-law, Ignacio de la Torre. Now, this wasn't a complete surprise. He lived a very separate life from his wife, Amada Diaz. The two even lived on completely opposite ends of their mansion and really were only seen together at public functions.
But what about this secret society? The event became known as The Ball of the 41 (or the Dance of the 41) because 41 men were arrested during this raid. The event was a cross-dressing and drag event with several men in attendance were dressed in women's clothing. The raid was definitely illegal considering it was held at a private home in the Colonia Tabacalera neighborhood of Mexico City. The press seized the story, much to the government's chagrin. The government really wanted this event to be forgotten about because several men arrested at the ball were Mexican elites. Rumor has it that the son-in-law was there, but he actually wasn't. The rumor led to some people calling him "42" believing that he escaped being arrested that night due to his political privilege. Others insisted that he was even one of the organizers of the event. These claims have never been confirmed or denied, so the rumor lives on thus his role in the film played by Alfonso Herrera.
So what happened to the men who were arrested? They were convicted and sent into the army to fight the Caste Wars in Yucatan. This became the first time that homosexuality was openly talked about in the media of the day and it began to define how Mexican culture talked about homosexuality. Thank god for that!
This movie has a really sexy scene that shows us what the illicit party might have looked like. Check out this sexy bathtub orgy filled with naked men:
